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tv   Today  NBC  December 8, 2013 8:00am-9:01am EST

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good morning. menacing and hazardous. winter weather alerts in a whopping 31 states this morning. some of the country's biggest cities, washington, new york, boston, bracing for sleet, freezing rain and snow. prayer, reflection and celebration. ♪ >> a week of memorial events under way in south africa this morning to say good-bye to nelson mandela as president obama prepares to lead the u.s. delegation there. lester is live in soweto, south africa with the latest.
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it's off. prince harry's race to the south pole canceled. that doesn't moon the royal is giving up on his mission to reach the bottom of the world today, sunday, december 8, 2013. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today" with lester holt live in soweto, south africa, and erica hill live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. welcome to "today" on this sunday morning. i'm erica hill alongside jenna wolfe and dylan dreyer. as we mentioned, lester holt is in soweto, south africa, where the official events to honor the life of nelson mandela are under way today. good morning, lester. >> reporter: good morning, erica. today was the official day of prayer and reflection. all that notwithstanding, it continues to be a day or a week of celebration of the life of nelson mandela. people here in the streets in
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soweto once again celebrating his life. we'll tell you about that. we'll tell you about the services held across south africa today from parks to churches as people gather to remember the father of their country. we will also tell you the specific plans now that we know about president obama's visit along with some other u.s. presidents here to south africa later this week as we report from soweto. >> lester, looking forward to that. we will get back to you shortly. we want to get to today's top story in the u.s., another round of both powerful winter storms creating treacherous conditions at this point from california all the way to new england. the weather channel's mike seidel is in a very chilly leesburg, virginia, this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. as we await the first wintery weather west of washington, dallas is encased in ice. the west coast got slammed by a second storm on saturday. in barts of north dakota and montana, temperatures have stayed below zero since thursday.
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no break in the wintery blast as a new storm moved into california. heavy snow in the mountains made the roads unsafe. >> it's slippery and dangerous. you try to change lanes and you're going sideways. >> reporter: icy conditions saturday went as far south as los angeles county, putting a total freeze on i-5 cutting off the major route between loss ang also -- >> it's ice from here all the way to oklahoma, r i-35 was impassable until the sun came up. over at the airport they're trying to get hundreds of stuck passengers in the air following more than 2700 canceled flights over three days. a frustrated traveler posted this to youtube. >> well, this is day three, terminal d here in dallas, texas. all flights canceled once again. >> reporter: work crews are trying to restore power to about 100,000 customers still in the cold and the dark.
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>> getting out sleeping bags, moving the couch to the fireplace and huddling around. >> reporter: it was cold. only 26 degrees on saturday, more than 30 degrees below average. so cold these palm trees in tyler are wrapped in installation. the rangers baseball park is covered in snow. you can play ice hockey on the streets of dallas. newburgh, indiana, is good for skating, too. head farther north and it really gets cold. it was 18 below in billings, montana when these hearty souls took the polar bear plunge. wow, 47 jumped into that frozen lake, all for a good cause, racing money for the special olympics. by the way, the windchill was 35 below zero. back here, a whole lot warmer, around 30, as we await the season's first snow, sleet and freezing rain. erica, i can't get over the guy plays ice hockey on the streets of dallas. >> that is crazy video. i can't get over jum in the water when the windchill is 30
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below. mike seidel, thanks. dylan is here now with a closer look at what we can expect coming our way. >> we'll see a little bit of everything with this. starts as snow, changes over to ice and eventually rain when it's all said and done. you can see in pink in parts of kentucky down into areas like western virginia and west virginia itself, it's the pink in here that creates all the problems, the icing that coats the trees and power lines and we end up with power outages. we are going to see the freezing rain take over eventually. it's dropping down to 31 in roanoke. it went from rain over to an icy mix. even washington, d.c. dropped to 31 degrees. naturally we have your winter storm warnings with a few ice storm warnings down in north dakota of all places. in roanoke, virginia, there's the possibility we could end up with close to a half inch of ice. that is what will create perhaps widespread power outages. further north, new jersey and new england, around .10 inch before it changes to rain by
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early tomorrow morning. erica? >> dylan, thanks. turning back now to lester in south africa. lester? >> reporter: all right, erica. as we mentioned, south africans are observing a national day of prayer and reflection. it is the start of the official events to celebrate the life of nelson mandela, culminating in a state funeral one week from today. nbc's michelle kosinski is just to our east in johannesburg. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: lester, you can imagine in churches around the world today mandela might be mentioned. here people were basically encouraged to do their own thing, reflect on the message of this champion of freedom. people in enormous numbers actually felt better gathering together including members of mandela's family. ♪ >> it had the feeling of a sunday revival. here a few hundred gathered in the tent at mandela's offices, anything but quietly reflective,
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full of joy. >> whenever there's death, we don't all crying, we need to celebrate his life. >> reporter: soweto gospel choir that performed for mandela so many times in his life, felt his loss. >> he will come and say how much he loves us. >> reporter: there were many services to day. winnie mandela and the south african president attended. ahmed cath rata is one of mandela's closest friends and advisors, spent decades in prison together, knew each other for more than 60 years. last time they met, he held his hand in the hospital. >> i left from there knowing that he won't be long with us. >> reporter: the national grief made lighter day by day in celebration of that powerful legacy. the feeling out here is absolutely jubilant. more people than we've seen so far, all over south africa.
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down in capetown this morning, the hard core surfers gathered in a big circle in the ocean on their boards and joined hands in tribute. one described it in one word, goose bumps. lester? >> charlene hunter galt is an nbc news special correspondent who has lived here in south africa and interviewed mandela on a number of occasions. great to be with you. >> great to be here, especially here. >> an amazing moment to be he n when he was first released from prison. talk to him about how people review him as a mythical character. he tried to downplay that. it makes me wonder how he would view all of this. >> let me say how nostalgic it is. i was just across the street when he first got out of prison. i think he'd actually be pleased. he's a very modest man, but i
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think he also enjoyed the fact that people appreciated him and what he was trying to do and his message. and i think he'd be thrilled by this actually. >> look around you, look at all the young people here that were born after he was released from prison, after he left office. >> we called them the born frees. >> i wonder if they've gotten the message, if in your view they appreciate what a different south africa this is from what their parents experienced. >> i think many of them appreciate it. you see white people out there walking unafraid with their little babies and everything. that's a big difference. you see interracial couples. i think a lot of these young people -- it will be interesting to find out how many of them don't have jobs. because that's the biggest challenge in this country, joblessness among young people who are the largest cohort of unemployed. >> i was going to mention that. there is a widening gap here between black and white. as we celebrate nelson mandela's life and give him the credit for
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leading this country to democracy, are we too obfusive in our praise when we look at the progress. >> we have to separate our praise for mandela with what's going on in this country. there is a widening gap between the poor and the not poor. some of the black people in this country have achieved middle and upper middle class status. the issue is it hasn't trickled down to the vast majority. i think the real concern here today, not just this moment, of course because they're celebrating madiba, but the real concern is how is this country going to accommodate the vast majority of unemployed, undereducated and many uneducated who in that 18 to 35 age group. >> charlene hunter galt, great to see you. >> so happy to be here. >> we'll head back to the studio now with erica. david gregory is making a rather sunday appearance here in new york hosting "meet the press" from new york city later
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this morning. nice to have you here. >> nice to be here. >> we've been hearing a little bit this weekend, further plans for president obama when it comes to the events in south africa this week, and former president george w. bush, former president clinton, former president carter. who will their role be as u.s. presidents at these events? >> i think just to be there, to pay tribute, to give the sense of moment it deserves, international recognition that it deserves. i think for all of them at different levels. president bush who i covered didnavdela but no doubt respected him. bill clinton, of course, very close. and president obama in a unique way, encouraged to go see him when he's still a senator. mandela encouraged to meet with this up-and-coming star in politics. and for our president to be so moved by mandela, to really have his own place in the civil rights struggle against apartheid i think makes it very meaningful. his presence will be
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significant. >> when it comes to president obama's presence on the international stage, we know he's talking about this potential for comprehensive agreement with iran yesterday. he said it's 50/50 or, frankly, it could be worse. his approval numbers very low here. when it comes to the international stage, how is his capital right now? >> i don't think it's exceedingly high. i think a lot of america's allies, particularly in the middle east from israel to some of the gulf countries think america has lost its nerve in some regard, particularly when it comes to confronting iran. so i think there is some difficulty with ourbili because our economic standing has some impact as well. it doesn't diminish america's overall power in the world and america's real influence in the world. that is still very, very strong, even if some people have doubts about president obama. >> how much of a focus is there for president obama in terms of international, seg tear hagel making his way to afghanistan. obviously something needs to be achieved there. >> it's so difficult. i think as you look toward next year, disengaging from
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afghanistan become as huge priority. really iran is going to be the big test. that's the scary piece, the big security element. i think it's true. no one knows whether iran will ultimately do what president obama wants it to do, which is basically dismantle any pretense towards a nuclear weapon. >> david, nice to have you here. we'll see you a little bit later. we vel a preview of "meet the press" later. meantime jenna is here with the morning's top stories. nice to see you. >> nice to see you, too. 85-year-old war veteran merrill newman is back in california after being detachbd for more than a month in north korea. north korean officials say he was being held on charges of hostile acts against the regime stemming from his service in the korean war. he was finally reunited with his family in san francisco on saturday after the north koreans deported him. >> it's been a great homecoming, and i'm tired but ready to be with my family.
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>> a spokane medical examiner is set to perform an autopsy monday to determine what caused the death of a teenager on a delta air lines flight on saturday. the flight from seattle to atlanta was forced to make an emergency landing in spokane shortly after takeoff. investigators says it appeared the 16-year-old died of natural causes. the teen was the son of a soldier based in washington. he and his family were flying to atlanta for the holidays. thousands are expected to turn out today for a tribute to "fast and furious" star paul walker. a memorialar cruise is scheduled this afternoon in valencia, california in honor of the late actor. . walker was killed in a fiery car crash on saturday. olympic gold medalist lindsay vonn returning to the sloping for a third day in a row. the schedule has her peaking just before the sochi olympics. she placed 11 during saturday's
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downhill race. it was an improvement from friday. remember we told you yesterday about 23-year-old general far grat from boston, doesn't speak a leak of arabic, but entered the "arabs got talent" and was one of three finalists. she didn't win. she placed third. she considers the experience a success. i'm sure you're wondering who won, wait for it. it was a syrian dance troop. >> which one? >> sima. >> no, no.it wasn't the other o what do you call someone who makes the seemingly impossible possible? not our hair and makeup team with me every morning. what? the auburn football team. you remember last weekend auburn, impressing every fan and non-fan out there in a stunning iron bowl win over alabama. the team won saturday against missouri in the sec championship.
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a record 304 yards on 46 carries. final score 59-42. next up for the very lucky auburn, playing the lottery, finding world peace and organizing all the pictures on my phone. if they can come up with those two wins, everything else should be pretty easy. >> can we have them pick some tickets for us. now to dylan for a look at the national forecast.much funn >> sorry i let you down. >> you stepped it up. i appreciate that. everyone does. >> thank you very much. really bitterly cold temperatures. 11 below in billings, 5 in denver. even dallas is only at 27 degrees. we're certainly not seeing any melting of that ice. bismarck, about 2. salt lake city, 28 degrees. these are your high temperatures for later this afternoon. it's not going to warm up much from where it is right now. ice storm, icing possible in kentucky and eventually up through virginia especially. that's the weather throughout the country. now here's a peek out your
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window. good sunday morning, everybody. i'm meteorologist chuck bell. winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings are posted across the entire area for the rest of today and tonight into your monday morning. temperatures way below freezing in northern maryland, right along the freezing mark along i-95. falls church and maryfield. along 81 as well. light snow coming into parts of southern maryland. could see a little accumulation of snow before that's your latest forecast. erica? >> dylan, thanks. up next, extreme conditions at the bottom of the world forced the cancellation of prince the bottom of the world forced the cancellation of prince harry's race, but his as your life changes, fidelity is there for your personal economy, helping you readjust along the way, refocus as careers change and kids head off to college,
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and actor alexander skarsgaard leading teams of wounded warriors to the south pole in the bitter cold. >> it's minus 30. apparently it's plus 30 where you are. >> reporter: after five days of harsh wind and brutal conditions, organizers decided the race had gotten too dangerous. >> over the last couple days i felt a little uncomfortable with some of the stress being placed on the team members as a result of very harsh terrain conditions that we're encountering. >> reporter: that doesn't mean the trek is over. far from it. in fact, there are still almost 70 miles to go. so teams will now work together to make sure 12 servicemen and women who once faced life-changing injuries will stand on the south pole by next weekend. the former competitors now united in a common goal which, in the end isn't much different than how harry described the race before he started. >> if i'm given the opportunity, it means i can help these guys out, creating more awareness for them or whatever, then so what
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to minus 50 and 19-mile-an-hour winds. >> it is serious conditions out there. they had a day of rest yesterday and they'll be driven to the same spot all starting that 70-mile trek. >> it is great they're continui, though, for such a good cause. thanks. up next, we want you to see what happened last night on "snl." it was fantastic when the hottest boy band on the planet crossed path with probably the hottest [kevin] paul and i have been friends... [paul] well...forever. [kevin] he's the one person who loves pizza more than i do. [paul] we're obsessed. [kevin] we decided to make our obsession our livelihood. [kevin] business was really good. [kevin] then our sauce supplier told me: "you got to get quickbooks." [kevin]quickbooks manages money, tracks sales and expenses. [paul] we even use it to accept credit cards. [paul] somebody buys a pie with a credit card, boom, all the accounts update. [paul] when we started hiring,we turned on payroll. [kevin] it's like our pizza.you add the toppings you want, leave off the ones you don't. [kevin] now business is in really great shape. [announcer] start using intuit quickbooks for free at quickbooks-dot-com.
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paul rudd was the host of "saturday night live" this week. he got help in the laugh department from his "anchorman 2" co-stars. >> you got your boy band. well, i brought my man band. [ cheers and applause ]
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a winter storm has arrived. this is a live look at the radar now. storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell is tracking the system. we'll check in with him in a minute. first, good morning, i'm richard jordan. it is sunday, december 8th. making news today, police are looking for a third person involved in a shootout with police in prince george's county. we brought you this first as breaking news last night at 11:00. officers responded to a robbery on silver hill road in district heights and then followed the suspect's car to an apartment complex on parkland court where that shootout happened. the officer was hit but was shielded by his bulletproof vest. no word on the condition of the gunman. detectives questioned a second man involved. trains will run on their normal sunday schedule on all five lines. metro says this move allows crews to prepare to respond to winter weather conditions and also help them get ready for tomorr
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good morning, everybody. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. mid 20s in northern maryland and shenandoah valley just at or slightly below freezing in much of the immediate metro area right now. we are seeing white snowflakes across northwest washington, maryfield, dulles reporting light snow and even snow into parts of southern maryland as well. there's more where this came from. forecast for today, snowflakes around this morning, more than enough to whiten the ground, turning to an ugly mix of sleet and rain this afternoon. travel will get very tricky
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after lunchtime today. if you don't have to be out, stay off the roads today. monday morning commute could be an ugly one as well. stay tuned for that. >> we're 30 minute as way f it's nye 60th birthday. >> mine, too. >> we're 16 today. >> happy birthday! >> boston misses you, dylan. so nice. we always get so many fun friends on the plaza from boston who love coming to see dylan. >> best fans. >> because we stole her. we're happy to share her with you on saturday and sunday mornings. it's december 8, 2013 as we say hello to the crowd gathered out there on a chilly rockefeller plaza. it's, what, 34 degrees out
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there? >> yes, not warm. but warmer compared to most of the rest of the country. >> that mix of snow and ice is on the way. we'll wrap things up for them so think can get the hot chocolate. i'm erica hill along with jenna wolfe and dylan dreyer. lester is in south africa. we begin with the severe weather threat, a dangerous wintery mix which now stretches from the south all the way up into maine. a new round of power outages is expected. hundreds of flights could be canceled or delayed. meantime a happy homecoming from the 85-year-old u.s. veteran detained in north korea for more than a month. merrill newman arrived in san francisco said he was, quote, delighted but declined to talk about his time there. susan boyle who rose to fame on "britain's got talent" revealing she's been diagnosed with asperger's syndrome.
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>> interesting revelation there. a lot more to get to in this half hour. we have -- you sit home and you wonder if you'll be able to afford everything on your holiday shopping list. that's what i'm wondering even though my kid is only this big. mario is here with alternatives to this season's hottest tech gifts, right? >> oh, yeah. he has them. he just doesn't have a mic on. >> i'm so far removed from tv right now. i can't hear you! since it is your first weekend back, we have advice for all new parents out there who are finding it hard to ease into your old work routine. you're getting there. >> slowly. i tripped a little yesterday. i'm back into full swing. >> you weren't on this set. we were still outside, and this set was being built when you left. >> right. new camera -- that room is so orange. is that on purpose? there's a lot of orange. >> it's called the orange room. >> is that what it is? i have been watching a lot of tv. i'm excited.
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i want this advice. i'm seeking this advice. >> maybe we'll bring you to the orange room to go with the advice. we want to begin with lester in south africa. lester i think is in the middle of one of those celebratory crowds at this moment. >> reporter: they have been dancing up a storm. it's all i can do to resist joining them. what a celebration this is in the streets of soweto. more than a celebration, i have to admit it gives me chills to watch what is taking place, the celebration of nelson mandela's life, especially when you think they're celebrating a man who helped lead them into democracy. think about the life of a black south african under apartheid. you couldn't vote, only live in certain areas, you had to carry pass around. you didn't even have citizenship in the country of your birth. that helps you put this in perspective what we're seeing here. black south africans, white south africans joining in this celebration in soweto and really across this country and around the world. now, we want to tell you, today was the day of reflection and
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prayer, a lot of people in this country went to church services, synagogues, mosques, different parts of the country to celebrate his life. there is going to be a memorial service on tuesday. the president and first lady will attend that memorial at a soccer stadium right here soweto. presidents george w. bush, president carter, president clinton will also be here in south africa. although their exact itineraries have not been announced. of course, security very tight. we're told south african officials have been overwhelmed by this. they haven't had this many heads of state come since nelson mandela was inaugurated in 1994. a lot of logistics being worked out now. the celebration continues as the tun stri undergoes its be loved father, ma dean deeb ba, nelson mandela. let's go back to dylan for a check of the weather.
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>> ten years cancer-free. good for you. happy 60th birthday. >> we are looking at the potential for an ice storm in parts of virginia. we want to show you that right could end up with half acknowledge an inch of ice in roanoke, enough to make a mess of the power grid and the roads, too. we could see one to three inches of snow, especially from philadelphia, briefly in new york city before it turns over to a wintry mix and gets eventually wash add way by rain. we could see ice and several inches of snow in central new england. elsewhere across the country, it is all about the cold. temperatures will be down below zero in most of the northern plains with even colder windchills. that's a look at the weather across the country. now here is a peek out your window. >> good morning once again, everybody. storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell, winter storm advisories into d.c. and maryland, winter storm warnings for northern maryland, panhandle of virginia. current temperatures at or below
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freezing and nearly every neighborhood. we are seeing light snow in and around the metro. instead or light snow out toward the shenandoah valley. and light snow in southern maryland. you can send for today's top spot, we're taking you to a chilly salinas, california, from our grand open tatum's garden. it's a wonderful place. a fully inclusive and accessible playground for children of all ages and physical abilities. the opening will include face painting, entertainment and lots of opportunities for kids to play. my advice is bundle up. it's a lot colder in california than it should be. >> we'll take that advice here in new york, too. as we know the holidays can be tough on families dealing with a difficult situation. when one parent is in the military, it can make the
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challenges even greater. janet shamlian has made it easier. >> reporter: on a quiet cul-de-sac in aurora, california, they arrived with a plan. >> we'll surprise the ander sorn family. >> reporter: one they carry out with military-like precision. they aren't soldiers but have come to surprise one, an airman, major matt anderson and his family. >> we're going to hopefully make your christmas more enjoyable with all the challenges. >> reporter: it's been a tough year for the andersons. son nate was diagnosed with leukemia. >> your chest just drops. and you think, no, no it's just a pneumonia or something. they're wrong. >> reporter: it was cancer. the 5-year-old has been in and out of the hospital for six months, all as major anderson was taking on new duties at buckley air force base. >> how to get all the extra things done when it's so time
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consuming being at the hospital with his appointments and getting groceries and trying to get normal day life done. >> reporter: when the company, christmas decor, learned of the andersons, they decided to deck their halls for free. it's truly a labor of love, every wreath and light that you see is donated. not just here, but for military families all across the country. every year more than 100 families with a mom or dad serving get the same surprise from workers like john gibson. >> it would be hard to find somebody is more deserving. >> reporter: yards of garland and thousands of lights later it felt like christmas. >> i'm thinking about winning the prize for the best house decorated. >> reporter: for a family that has been through a challenging year, their home now a point of happiness. serving those who serve our nation by making the holidays bright. janet shamlian, nbc news,
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aurora, california. >> such a great story. if you'd like to give your loved one a high-tech gift but maybe short on cash -- they're not cheap -- we have affordable alternatives for you for cheap -- we have affordable alternthe pain started up the back of my head and wrapped around to the front. i couldn't play my bassoon because of the pressure that i felt throughout my whole head. the blistering and the rash was moving down towards my eye. the doctors at the emergency room recommended that i have it checked out by an eye doctor. there was concern about my eyesight. when i had shingles the music stopped. ♪ [ male announcer ] hurry in and get up to 30% off on select christmas items at lowe's. ♪
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we are back this morning with mario's top three.
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>> no one knows how to say my name. >> he doesn't know if he wants to be mario or mario. we're going with both this morning. here is what we do know. he has great less expensive alternatives for some of the season's must-have tech gifts. mario armstrong is today's digital lifestyle contributor. we're always happy when you're here. >> i want to save people money and make things stress free. >> the first thing we'll look at is streaming video on your tv. this is something like apple tv that people may be familiar with. that's about a hundred bucks. >> yes, about 99 bucks. apple tv is great. tons of content. you can do air play mirroring. you can show what's on your iphone or ipad on the big screen. >> otherwise you're using a device like this to basically watch streaming video. it could be something like netflix or a youtube video or something like that on your tvs throughout your house. >> that's right. so google -- what's new and
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what's lower cost, google has something called the chromecast. it's only 35 bucks. you actually plug this right into your hdmi slot in the back of your tv. >> it does all the same things? >> not all the same content. you can get youtube, netflix, hbo go, pandora, and more coming. any time you use a chrome web browser from your lab top or tablet, you can stream that direct live to your big screen. >> a third of the cost. >> a third, 35 bucks. >> that's one option for streaming video. when it comes to a gaming system, there's the xbox, the play station, talking hundreds of dollars. something else you have that i don't know how to pronounce. >> people are so used to the big three, nintendo, sony and microsoft. this is called ouya. the website is ouya.tv. it's made by gamers who left big
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companies to come up with their own thing. this is 99 bucks. >> versus as high as 500. >> here is a fun thing, too. ki try out any game for free. you have to have the internet at home to download the game. i can try any game for free. they run from free to 15 bucks. >> so the games are less expensive, too. >> you might say it looks like a they have ie game. the first person shooters. >> a little tight on time. before we let you go, wireless speakers. >> a lot of people like bose and the big names. they sound great and have great quality. my particular favorite is the sonos. it's $299, gives me wireless control. i can change the volume and the track. if i add more speakers on different parts of the house, ki listen to different music in different areas. >> you can control it with your phone? >> control it with my phone. >> if we went with all your
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picks, we could save $570 dollars. >> yes. >> that's why i love this man. get back with the answer on how to pronounce your name. >> my dad calls me mario. my mom yells at me with mario. >> it's a lot to discuss. that will do it for the top three. check those out on our website that's your new boss? yeah. well...your boss loves the beach. really? she's been to london, paris
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and her son plays baseball. you psychic? no. i speak pandora. ♪ he went to jared. [ female announcer ] celebrate life's unforgettable moments with a fabulous selection of pandora charms and bracelets -- including these charms, exclusively at jared, the galleria of jewelry. telling her life's story with just a turn of the wrist. you're good. i know. [ female announcer ] that's why he went to jared.
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it is a very special weekend around here. it is jenna's first weekend back from maternity leave. we have missed her very much. we're happy she got lots of time with harper. it's a big adjustment when you come back as a working parent. we thought we'd gather u se thoughts from some of your fellow working parts and maybe some day working parents here at the "today" show. >> jenna, some of the best advice i got before coming back to work after my first son was born was from my son heather who said to focus on whatever the task is at hand. if you're at work, focus on work. when you're with your baisch by, focus on harper. >> i have to say, first, welcome back to a normal sleep schedule, at least as normal as mornings
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on "weekend today" can be. when i went back to work, that's when i got caught up on my sleep once again. >> i remember when we were talking about how jenna would be when she had harper. we had visions of her being this warm, caring mom. it's amazing because that's exactly what she is. if there's anything she's nervous about moving forward, just have that confidence that you're a mom now. you're going to figure it out. everything is going to be just fine. >> it's tough. you get used to that non-stop time wy and the connection you make. when you come to work, it's a huge chunk of your day where you're not with her, and it's tough. it's not an easy transition. >> coming back to work was good. i was ready. but, of course, i was used to being with my babe 24 hours a day and i missed her. it's really great for us to be able to work and show our daughters that we have this other life. >> i think today's parent has it
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made compared to when my kids were little. you have skype and face time and these things. you can interact. it's not just a phone call. >> traveling is hard. my husband sends me videos of mila every night i'm gone. my goal is to be at home at bath time every night when i'm in new york so i can at least have those precious few hours of nighttime routine. >> the more you can focus on the positive in every situation, the better every situation is. even when you're traveling, think of it as a chance to sleep late more. when you're at home, think about it as moch time with harper. when you're back at work, think how excited you are to hang out with us again. >> the thing is, dwrount have to worry. we've been there, done that, we'll help guide you through it. hold your hand every step of the way. take it day by day. when you go home, give your little one a bigger hug. >> the one thing jenna will find out and everybody says this to new parents, it happens so fast. they'll grow up before you know it.
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trust me. it does. mine are many their 20s. only yesterday i was rocking them with one hand. it really does go fast. >> i think what harper is going to see is we are two women who are, although very focused on our careers and passionate about them, are also very passionate about her and care about her and that she's the priority. to be able to see that i think is great for any child. >> i think it's nice that you sent a picture of harper in orange because we're in the orange room. it's sweet watching you watch pictures of harper and see watching you and steph and harper together. >> i know every parent does it. >> no pressure at all, dylan. we're here in the orange room. we're talking about how this new studio thing happened while you were gone. a lot of action takes place now in the #orangeroom. a way to introduce you to do is
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to take some questions from our viewers. >> the monitor, one finger and one finger only, when you swipe this. >> you know that from pfrnl experience. >> it will mess you up. first question, how are nights with the baby? the baby is beautiful. >> before harper came along, i thought no sleep, no prm. now that shees here, you steal sleep wherever you can find time to sleep. we're a good six, seven hours at night. i'll take that. >> as a new mom, i'm trying to lose baby weight. what was your workout routine like, did you go on a special diet? >> no special diet. i don't want to restrict calories. i'm eating better. there is no secret. you work as hard as you can, but
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within healthy confines and give it time. i think after a little bit of time you start seeing results. can't rush this. >> took nine months to get you there, actually ten. i think lester has a question for you from south africa. >> reporter: i do. having been trained, jenna, by you, i know how tough that is. you have this healthy lifestyle. how will you introduce harper to a healthy lifestyle? will it be food, doing workouts with her when she's ready? >> you're leaving new york came at a decent time. i cleared out your office oovps. your office is where i'm setting up some sort of refrigerator with healthy food and gym equipment. my office is where we'll be doing actual work. in your office, lester. >> oh, boy. can't wait. >> keep the questions and the advice coming. jenna will keep the pictures of harper coming. >> i'm going to tour the room. >> we'll ♪ [ male announcer ] this holiday, don't get stuck at the corner of
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for centuries." ♪ this levian collection is amazing. maybe it's time to start your own. [ female announcer ] kay jewelers presents today's levian collection... [ gasps ] [ female announcer ] ...featuring exclusive levian chocolate diamonds. from the levian family -- where the latest in fashion meets fine jewelry. one more reason kay is the number-one jewelry store in america. it's... a work of art? ♪ every kiss begins with kay
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♪ this is our 20th annual toy drive at the today show. here with a very special contribution, connie tang, president and ceo of princess house. you brought these super fun -- we're all obsessed with these -- kids cooking essentials. >> we're so proud to participate in the toy drive, we're donating over 11,000 items, over $210,000 to over ten non-profit charitable organizations. and these tools are developed to be high quality, food grade safe so kids can start learning how to cook healthy and prepare healthy snacks and really bring the family together. all of you have nieces or
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children who want to be like mom and play in the kitchen. well, here is a great way to get started. >> you have them for kids who want to be like dad, too. >> absolutely. >> a little something for everybody. great work empowering women. great to have you here. thanks for the donation. >> thank you. want to check in with david gregory, moderator of "meet the press." what's coming up on this morning's show, david? >> erica, good morning. a special "meet the press" this morning with an in-depth look at nelson mandela. we'll look at mandela's life, his effects on u.s. politics and policy and how he handled controversies and criticism, all part of his enduring legacy all coming up this morning from new york on "meet the press." >> looking forward to that. one quick reminder when it comes to the toy drive, you can donate online. go to today.com for more on that. that's its for us in new york on this sunday morning. lester, we'll be seeing more of you tonight. >> reporter: we will be. i'm pretty sure dylan called this, big downpour in johannesburg. we'll see you tonight on "nbc
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nightly news." so long. >> have a great day everyone. and there you see it, a winter storm sitting over the d.c. region. >> we've started to see snow falling in northwest d.c. that is not it. several areas are seeing the snow this morning. hi, everyone. good morning. welcome. i'm richard jordan. >> as forecast, winter storm. >> we have you covered in any area you live, starting off in the storm team 4 "weather center" with chuck bell and
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veronica johnson. >> hey, good -- good morning, everybody. veronica johnson joins me here in storm center 4 first thing this morning. already snowflakes spotted outside of our window. >> really around much of the area. and reports are coming in fast as we heard angie say on social media. that's what i've been monitoring. i'll give you a tour around the area, who has what and a lot of pictures coming in. >> if you're participating in our social media today, which we hope you will, send us facebook or twitter picture, don't forget to tell us where the picture is taken. we have a couple of pictures but don't know where they're from. advisories in southern maryland, prince george's county, district in arlington county, higher shaded pink counties here, winter storm warnings. there could be more in the way of accumulating snow and ice problem. current temperatures way below freezing, northern maryland in the shenandoah valley. storm team 4

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